- Actors: Daniel Bruhl, Katrin Sass, Chulpan Khamatova, Alexander Beyer
- Directors: Wolfgang Becker
- Format: Colour, PAL
- Language German
- Subtitles: English
- Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
- Number of discs: 1
- Classification: 15
- Studio: Ugc Films
- DVD Release Date: 1 Mar 2004
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B0001K2KWU
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 13,536 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)
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Reviews
Amazon.co.uk Review
Contemporary comedies rarely stretch themselves beyond a bickering romantic couple or a bickering couple and a bucket of bodily fluids, which makes the ambition and intelligence of Goodbye, Lenin! not simply entertaining but downright refreshing. The movie starts in East Germany before the fall of communism; our hero, Alex (Daniel Bruhl), describes how his mother (Katrin Sass), a true believer in the communist cause, has a heart attack when she sees him being clubbed by police at a protest. She falls into a coma for eight months--during which the Berlin Wall comes down. When she awakens, her fragile health must avoid any shocks, so Alex creates an illusive reality around his bedridden mother to convince her that communism is still alive. Goodbye, Lenin! delicately balances wry satire with its rich investment in the lives of Alex, his mother, and other characters around them.
On the DVD: Though the DVD extras for Goodbye Lenin! include a detailed featurette on the digital effects used in the movie (particularly intriguing because they had to be completely invisible--many viewers won't realize there were digital effects until they see this featurette) and a convivial cast commentary (in German with English subtitles) with Daniel Bruhl, Katrin Sass, and Alexander Beyer, the star of the DVD is director Wolfgang Becker himself. Not only is his commentary rich with historical information and thoughtful notes about the making of the movie, for the deleted scenes (including two lovely scenes that expand on the relationship between Alex and his girlfriend Lara) he and Tom Tykwer (director of Run Lola Run and part of the X Filme collective that produced Goodbye Lenin!) have an insightful conversation about the editing process, storytelling, and the essence of watching a movie. Utterly fascinating, and invaluable to any aspiring filmmaker. --Bret Fetzer
DVD Description
The year is 1989 and East and West Germany are still divided. Alex (Daniel Bruhl) and his sister Ariane (Maria Simon) live in East Germany with their single mother, Christiane (Katrin Sass) who is a staunch Socialist. When Alex’s mother witnesses his arrest on a protest march, she suffers a heart attack and falls into a coma for eight months, just enough time for the Berlin Wall to come tumbling down, along with all of East Germany’s ideals. Eight months later, Christiane wakes up and things have changed. The doctors warn Alex that any shock could bring on a fatal heart attack. He then realizes he must convince his mother that her beloved Communism has not been overthrown but is in fact triumphing over Capitalism. Alex then sets out to recreate every detail of the old East inside the four walls of their tiny council flat … what begins as a little white lie soon turns into a major deception with hilarious consequences!
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I know what you're thinking, but if you look hard enough there's plenty of decent german films out there. Like this one. And Run Lola Run. And..they're probably the ones you've heard of right? If you're new to german cinema, don't be put off.
Being a german student, you might think I'm rather biased, but this film really does german cinema justice. For once, a film that refers back to an important part of germany's history, but at the same time, isn't afraid to laugh at itself. I'm talking about all the little references made to coca cola, that capitalist pig of a company, and to the extensive waiting lists for cars. This film makes you see how ludicrous and laughable the situation had become in the GDR, but of course, back then no one was laughing.
But its not all meaningless jokes about the claustrophobic nature of the former soviet bloc. After her heart attack, Alex knows any shock could kill his mother. And what bigger shock, than to wake up from a coma and discover that in fact the country is once again united, coca cola reigns supreme and your daughter has quit college to work at Burger King. At first glance the situation certainly does not look rosy.
Apart from the few odd moments I mentioned earlier, Goodbye Lenin! isn't exactly a laugh out loud comedy. The challenges Alex (played by the brilliant Daniel Brühl) faces to protect his mother from the truth are in many ways humourous, but there are some very moving moments as well. Alex is in every way a devoted son, even if it causes minor tension with other family members. Combine this with his humourous escapades, from trying to find the right brand of pickles to allowing his student nurse girlfriend to wrap him almost entirely in plaster cast, and this makes for a character we the audience can truly identify with.
Wolfgang Becker's excellent film has been nominated for a Golden Globe, and has also managed to scoop an Academy Award, six European Film Awards and nine German Film Awards. If the rest of Europe is able to see what a fantastic film this is, I'm pretty sure you will be too.
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Well. This is an absolutely great film. I love it.
It's full of emotion, humour and fireworks. really it is full of fireworks and rockets! Wahnsinn!
The deception behind keeping Frau Kerner (Katrin Sass) in the dark about the reunification is astounding and the humour behind everything is really dry which is typical for German humour. There is one part that really gets me upset for Frau Kerner when the statue of Lenin is flown away - i think it's the music as well - an excellent score throughout.
A subtitled film to warn those who are keen to avoid that but there is so much that would be wrong with the film if it were dubbed.
But it goes to show what some people might do for their mothers even it means saying that a country that no longer exists is thriving!
It may help to know what the reunification of Germany is before you watch it just so you understand what's goign on. But ican recommend this to anyone who understands German humour, history and maybe the language. Enjoy
It's full of emotion, humour and fireworks. really it is full of fireworks and rockets! Wahnsinn!
The deception behind keeping Frau Kerner (Katrin Sass) in the dark about the reunification is astounding and the humour behind everything is really dry which is typical for German humour. There is one part that really gets me upset for Frau Kerner when the statue of Lenin is flown away - i think it's the music as well - an excellent score throughout.
A subtitled film to warn those who are keen to avoid that but there is so much that would be wrong with the film if it were dubbed.
But it goes to show what some people might do for their mothers even it means saying that a country that no longer exists is thriving!
It may help to know what the reunification of Germany is before you watch it just so you understand what's goign on. But ican recommend this to anyone who understands German humour, history and maybe the language. Enjoy
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
If there is a German film of all time, this is probably it - and having recommended it to many non-german speaking friends who loved it, I feel the film has proved its accessibility. It is a wonderful mixture of humour and sensitivity, and Daniel Bruehl's superb, understated acting is truly amazing. The film is set in Berlin as the East German regime falls, and it encapsulates many of the dilemmas and mixed feelings that East Germans may have felt then and since. It is also, however, a film about family, and the ties and lies that bind and separate us.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Wunderbar!
Beautifully crafted piece of lighthearted cinematic comedy that really captures the essence of life in the East before the fall of the wall. Read more
Published 9 months ago by The Funky Buddha
What Would Lenin Have Thought..A Comedy About the Demise of Communism?
I came across the super comedy a number of years ago when I was staying in Germany. I have a number of friends from Rostock Eastern Germany and as a lecturer in International... Read more
Published 10 months ago by C. M. Cotton
Brilliantly crafted film...
We viewed this film a week or so after a visit to Berlin, perhaps this made the experience even more enjoyable. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Mr. R. Smith
Probably Biased - But aren't we all?
Let's be honest, people who write reviews for products are a self-selecting group. People tend to write reviews for only a few reasons; to share their love with others or put them... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Truthahn1
Delightful movie
I discovered Daniel Bruhl in Ladies in Lavender - he played the displaced young man taken in for a while by the two ladies who turns their lives upside down. Read more
Published on 6 Sep 2007 by Helen
Charming...
A charming film, the core values of family speak true in every language. One of my personal favourite foreign language films. Read more
Published on 26 Aug 2007 by Kay
Recommended movie, DVD to avoid
The reason why this DVD version of the movie is currently discounted at 3 GBP is probably that it only has german sound with non-optional english subtitles. Read more
Published on 9 July 2007 by claudejazz
Charming
This is a delightful, charming film. A beautifully observed movie of filial love. "Ostalgia" guaranteed
Published on 6 July 2007 by Marc Lewis
Germans never write just comedy...
I think for the majority of viewers this film will be regarded principally as a comedy, though for those who have lived through communism it is a great deal more than that. Read more
Published on 17 April 2007 by Mr. Ian George Fraser
"The future lay in our hands. Uncertain, yet promising."
Good Bye Lenin! is a German-made film about the collapse of the Berlin Wall and reunification as seen through the eyes of a young man called Alex. Read more
Published on 6 April 2007 by M. J. Pucci
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